It’s a day for which I wish there were no need to observe; however, the importance of marking World Refugee Day grows by the year as war and violence flourish.
It’s a day that invites our remembrance of, reflection on, and response to the ongoing refugee crisis. In doing so, we honour refugees around the globe, celebrating the strength and courage of people who have been forced to flee their home country to escape conflict or persecution.
It’s a day, for us as Christians, to prayerfully consider God’s invitation and call to love our neighbours and to welcome the stranger, called to life and compelled to love such as we are.
According to the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees, the number of refugees worldwide rose to 42.5 million people, a number that has doubled in the last decade. More than two-thirds of refugees come from five countries: Afghanistan, Syria, Venezuela, Ukraine, and South Sudan.
Over the last year, parishes and community groups across our diocese continued to sponsor refugees from around the world, providing essential orientation and care for newcomers as they are resettled and welcomed to Canada. And blessings abound, abundantly, both for those we welcome and those involved in the welcoming.
The stories of those we welcome to the villages, towns and cities of our diocese are so moving:
Families reunited after years of separation; essential health care provided to renew one’s lease on life; freedom and dignity restored to flourish as the beloved child of God they were created to be.
Our diocese undertakes this ministry as a Sponsorship Agreement Holder (SAH) through the Private Sponsorship of Refugees program of Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada. We’re one of 15 Anglican SAHs in Canada, supported by Alongside Hope, which brings us together for mutual support and collective advocacy.
Recent changes to Canada’s refugee resettlement policies have significantly reduced the number of refugees we are able to welcome, including through private sponsorship, but we remain committed, buoyed by hope and with hearts filled with compassion. Together, Anglicans in Canada welcomed more than 1100 refugees to Canada last year, from 17 different countries.
As with all ministries of the Church, this work happens because of the passion and incredible faithfulness of the people, parishes, and missions of the communities we serve. In addition, there is a team of dedicated volunteers and staff who help support this diocesan ministry, helping us live into our responsibilities as a Sponsorship Agreement Holder.
I hope you’ll join with Anglicans across Canada on June 20, World Refugee Day, to pray for refugees, as well as asylum seekers and others who are displaced from their hometowns but who remain within their country of origin. And pray too for peace, living into God’s sacred vision of a world where there is no more war, conflict, or persecution, but where all of humanity flourishes in love and with dignity.
If you are interested in learning more about this work, donating towards our refugee sponsorship ministry, or exploring a refugee sponsorship with your parish, please email [email protected].
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